Anmol Ahuja
Thrones Y’all! The finale of possibly the most watched show on the planet right now has aired, and fans have unfortunately been forced to make do with only 7 episodes of the second last season of the epic fantasy saga set in the mythical land of Westeros. Reveling from the after effects of it, and coming to terms with the long night that is upon us (the next season reportedly comes out in 2019), we hereby attempt to evaluate what the seventh season brought forth on display.
For firsts, this season felt the least ‘Game of Thrones’ like. There was something inherently missing. I could, I think squarely point that out to the story not being based on George RR Martin’s work anymore, since his fifth book in the series, “The Winds of Winter” is still in development. That would leave the responsibility of the show’s happenings with DB and DB (the developers of the show). There was inherently a lot of fan service this time around, which made this season somewhat very “safe”, if you know what I mean. The unpredictability that made GoT, well, GoT was gone. You knew your favourite characters were going to make it out of a pickle, if ever they found themselves in one. That being said, it’s not necessarily a bad thing either. As humans, we always tend to yearn for happy endings, for justice being served in the end. The Starks finally seem to be headed that way, as the great number of reunions in this season would suggest. While the fans in us won’t be ready to bid farewell to our favourite show even if it happens two years later, it would seem from its present direction that it may be a pleasant one.
In terms of quality, this was also the most turbulent among the seasons, with episodes varying from, I shouldn’t say this, bad to just meh to overall satisfactory, with some really great moments mixed in. However, credit where it’s due, the budget this time is considerably pushed up a notch. You could almost assume that the budget of CGI on dragons and green screen for some locales is almost equal to the actors’ remuneration, it’s so extensive and commendably well done. As is expected, the production values are top notch. The actors perform consistently well; it also has its share of tense moments handled with great dramatic flair, and some great dialogue to go with it. But is it the best Game of Thrones can offer? No. Is it the worst? Definitely no. Is the best yet to come? Maybe. All said and done, here we rank all seven episodes from presumably worst, to the best in the lot. Read on!
SPOILER ALERT, obviously. So, if you haven’t watched the entire season yet, reading ahead may be an exercise in futility.
7. Beyond the Wall
Quite possibly, one of the worst written episodes of the series. The major fault line here is exposed right at the heart of it. The premise: Jon leading a group of men north of the Wall to secure a wight to convince Cersei that the threat is real; made little to no sense to me. In such a scenario, you would want to think that you would either spot a wight in isolation, or in a small group, and not accompanied by the night king and other white walkers. Still, that doesn’t explain the complete lack of preparation on the group’s part. Gendry was carrying a hammer for crying out loud.
Also, the concept of time and space seems completely absent here. Large distances are covered in abnormally short periods of time. But that, I think, can be applied to the whole of this season. The famous dragon quip too, got old this time around. The sound of Drogon screeching in the sky didn’t raise excitement levels, you KNEW they were going to make it. The same, however cannot be said for poor Viserion. The conversion of Viserion into a wight may have excited a few viewers, but till then I’d had my fill of “where did he get those chains” and “who chained the dragon up from the bottom of the lake” jokes, thanks to the instant sensation that they were on social media. Finally, Benjen Stark died for nothing.
The Good: The only positives, few and far in between for this episode, include the visual aspects of it; Tyrion trying to convince Daenerys to do “nothing” and Daenerys and Jon mutually agreeing that the major threat lies to the North of the Wall, while Jon proclaims her ‘Queen’ make the better bits of it.
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6. Eastwatch
The Good: Daenerys going all “dracarys” on Randyll and Dickon Tarly, and her little moment of conflict with Tyrion; Bran’s little rendezvous with the Night King; Littlefinger plotting to pitch the Stark sisters against each other using the scroll that Sansa was made to write under influence from Cersei; Sam’s moment of reckoning; Jon’s moment with Drogon; The Daenerys-Jorah reunion; Jaime’s interaction with Cersei about how the war was impossible to win for them, and Cersei refuting, declaring she is pregnant.
The Bad: While I loved Gendry’s character early on in the show, I hope the writers have good reason to bring him back. What’s more? Arya’s awkward conversation with Sansa; the whole sequence on the shores of King’s Landing was poorly written; Jon assembling the ‘Suicide Squad’ to capture a wight North of the Wall at Eastwatch. Frankly, as mentioned earlier, this premise seems completely farfetched.
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5. Stormborn
The Good: Strategy building between Daenerys and her allies at her newfound base, Dragonstone. Olenna Tyrell having little dialogue and owning it completely, advising Daenerys not to listen to “clever men”; Arya’s encounter with Nymeria and her decision to return North instead when she hears Jon has retaken it; The tension between Jon and Sansa; Jon’s interaction with Littlefinger in the crypts; Sam’s treatment of Jorah’s greyscale, a bit too convenient, but acted out well.
Apart from these developments, the battle at sea, the invasion of Yara’s fleet by Euron’s is generally well done. However, it does require its fair share of leaps of faith and suspension of fair logic.
The Bad: Daenerys is quite conveniently convinced to send for Jon after Melisandre tells her that “he has a role to play” (and ofcourse with a little persuasion from Tyrion); Pretty similar scenario with Randyll Tarly; The whole ‘Scorpion’ development achieves close to nothing, atleast in this season; Sansa being completely okay with Jon’s decision to meet Daenerys after he declares her ruler in his stead.
The major problems with this episode lie with the most spectacular development that happens in this hour: Euron’s invasion. It’s a little farfetched that absolutely nobody in Yara’s entire fleet of close to hundred ships was able to spot “the greatest armada in Westeros”, and within minutes, it’s all blown to hell. The sand snakes are defeated and Yara captured, and Theon, well. Spectacle over narrative, I believe.
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4. Dragonstone
The Good: The resident badass of House Stark, Arya, kicks this season off with some more of her badassery. Having slit Walder Frey’s throat last season, she assumes his identity and poisons all men of his family, proving that the North remembers. Quite a kickstarter!
The Night King now has three giants in his wight army; The palpable tension between Jon and Sansa regarding the loyalty of Umber and Karstark Houses; LYANNA MORMONT dismissing the men like a boss; Sam meeting a greyscale stricken Jorah Mormont; Jim Broadbent as the Archmaester at Oldtown; Repeated scenes of Sam’s duties while training add some levity. Last, but not the least, Daenerys‘ arrival at Dragonstone is glorious. Emilia Clarke emotes like a charm in this one particular scene.
The Average: The Hound meeting the Brotherhood without Banners, and their discussion thereafter, could’ve been shorter. The King’s Landing sequence, Euron’s dialogue was crackling and establishes the kind of character he is, but the whole sequence before could’ve been more crisp.
The Bad: Ed Sheeran’s cameo, while not bad per se, felt out of place. Limited screentime for Tyrion, tighter editing could’ve prevented that. Other than that, pretty decent episode that sets the stage for things to come.
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3. The Queen’s Justice
The Good: Jon’s meeting with Daenerys and Tyrion; Jon’s first encounter with the Dragons; Melisandre and Varys’ conversation; Cersei’s first truly formidable act this season, administering the poison to the only surviving sand snake the same way Myrcella was killed, and leaving her to die in the dungeons as Ellaria watches. Truly despicable; Cersei being completely casual about her incestuous relationship with Jaime in front of guards, although it has little consequence; Another Stark reunion.
Again, the largest development of the episode occurs in the last few minutes of the episode, which is a bummer. The Unsullied take Casterly Rock easily, while later we learn that the Lannisters abandoned it to take (and loot) Highgarden, which would also allow them to clear their debt with the Iron Bank. Lastly, the woman who always has the upper hand, Olenna Tyrell. She exits with a mic drop so severe, she shot right up in my list of favourite GoT characters. That lady is savage.
The Bad: Nothing that can be particularly pointed out. It has its quiet moments, and explosive ones. Balance is the key here, and this episode achieves it. The only minor complaint is the little rush towards the end while two important battles proceed.
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2. The Dragon and The Wolf
As a series finale, this episode delivers all that is asked and more. With the longest runtime for a GoT episode, it aims on establishing a lot of things, and safe to say it succeeds in doing so. Not as explosive an episode as ‘The Spoils of War’, this one felt more complete, evenly paced, and well told overall. All the scenes were well placed, and some major developments took place.
The Good: The meeting at Dragonpit; The Game of Thrones meets ‘The Walking Dead’ moment; Tyrion’s interaction with Cersei, some really well acted scenes for TV; The tension between Jaime and Cersei; First snow over King’s Landing; Littlefinger’s WTF moment and subsequent execution by Arya; Sam and Bran FINALLY revealing Jon’s true lineage in voiceover while Jon and Daenerys give in to their romantic feelings towards each other (I would admit that it was awkward too!); The appearance of Rhaegar Targaryen, and the revelation that Jon was never a bastard.
The Bad: Theon’s fight with one of the Ironborn upon winning which, the other Ironborn simply agree to accompany Theon in saving Yara.
Finally, the best of the lot, the breach at Eastwatch. I would at this moment overlook the circumstances that allowed this to happen, but the Night King riding an undead Viserion is the stuff of Westerosi nightmares. Not to mention, the scene with Viserion breathing (Blue?) fire on the wall, does manage to look epic and visually stunning.
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1. The Spoils of War
The Good: Cersei’s plan to engage the Golden Company of Essos; Bran’s “Chaos is a ladder moment” with littlefinger; Another Stark Reunion, this time Arya’s; Arya’s training sequence with Brienne.
This last sequence, the loot train attack, somewhat restored a lot of lost faith in the season. Technically brilliant, absolutely stunning, in some ways brutal too, and straight up adrenaline-rush inducing. The best sequence in the season, hands down, and one of the best in the series. That moment when Jaime and the always endearing Bronn discover the approaching Dothraki hoards, and hear Drogon’s screech in the sky is priceless. Daenerys’ “Dracarys” moment gave me chills, and I’m sure will go down as one of the most epic scenes in the entire series. Impressive in every aspect.
The Bad: Bran’s interaction with Meera Reed; Jon showing Daenerys those drawings inside the Dragonglass cave, too improbable; Daenerys’ “bend the knee” gets a little hackneyed here.
So, that’s all for now. Reruns ahoy!
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